我总是想不起它的名字，

I always forget the name,

“翠雀花”，

delphinium,

即使它是

even though it was the flower

蜂鸟们

the hummingbirds

最爱的花。它们成双成对到来——

loved best. They came in pairs—sleek,

光滑的，祖母绿的小脑袋

emerald-bright

那钟表一样精确挥动的

heads, the clockwork machinery

快到模糊的双翅

of their blurred wings

迅疾地倏倏作响，咄咄逼人的机器。

thrumming swift, menacing engines.

它们抽动鸟喙，

They slipped their beaks.

就像在用小棒搅动香槟，深深地

as if they were swizzle sticks, deep

插入

into the blue

翠雀花蓝色的喉咙

throat of delphinium and sucked

吸干蜜汁——

dry the nectar-

冰冷的心就像高脚杯

chilled hearts like goblets full of sweet,

装满了甜蜜的，冰冻的黛克瑞酒。

frozen daiquiri.

我喜欢在黄昏

I liked to sit on the back porch

坐在后门廊，

in the evenings,

一边看它们一边吃

watching them and eating Spanish

西班牙花生，在

peanuts, rolling

拇指和食指之间转动它们

each nut between thumb and forefinger

捻去上面

to rub away

红色的浸盐外皮

the red salty skin like brittle

就像捻去脆硬的纸巾。

tissue paper,

直到露出闪亮的果核，

until the meat emerged gleaming,

就像老象牙一样黄，

yellow like old

就像抛光的骨头一样光滑。

ivory, smooth as polished bone.

在八月末，

And late August,

在黄花的感慨之后，

after exclamations of gold

锦鸡儿树

flowers, tiny

长出又小又苦的种子，

and bitter, the caragana

它让自己的豆荚成熟，

trees let down their

干透，开裂——

beans to ripen, dry, and rupture—

这里会有

at first there was

爆米花轻柔的鼓声，开始时油滑得意，

the soft drum of popcorn, slick with oil,

踱步走过——

puttering some-

在种子，热浪和云中间。

where in between seed, heat, and cloud.

然后尖锐地爆炸

Then sharp cracks like cap

就像发令枪或者微小的烟花。

gun or diminutive fireworks,

而锦鸡儿的豆子

caragana

就像弹丸一样

peas catapulting skyward like

被弹向天空。

pellet missiles.

有时草地百灵鸟会用旋律

Sometimes a meadowlark would lace

给夜晚的空气

the night air with

织满精致的蕾丝，

its elaborate melody,

就像黑色的缎带

rippling and sleek

光滑地泛起波纹。

as a black satin ribbon. Some-

有时

times there would be

我能看到流星。

a falling star. And because

因为这些发生在怀俄明州，

this happened in

而且因为

Wyoming, and because this was

这里是我父母的房子，

my parents’ house,

而且因为

and because I’m never happy

我从来没有因为任何事情而感到开心，

with anything,

在任何时候。我一直希望，

at any time, I always wished

我在另一个地方，

that I was some-

哪里都可以，除了这里。

where, anywhere else, but here.